New year and the first "My 10 Albums" text in it. This time my guest is Giuseppe Bortone from Italy. He is the owner of the Zero Nove Nove booking agency and record label, but above all he is a great music lover and a wonderful person. Here are the albums Giuseppe has chosen as the ones that have influenced him the most:
Today Zero Nove Nove is a management booking agency and a young record label, with a special focus on the sounds of world music.
However, the albums that have influenced me the most come from musical genres that are a little bit distant from the sounds I work with today. Each of these albums has given me values and contributed to my personal and professional development: vision, ambition, inspiration. Yes, because even though hip hop is a completely different genre musically, most of the references I have and use in my work come from hip hop.
Litfiba - 17 Re (IRA, 1987.)
Litfiba were and still are a part of me. 40 years of rock, stages and records. Piero Pelù, the band's singer, was the first really big concert I attended. This album, which was released the year I was born, is a milestone.
Sud Sound System - Comu Na Petra (Compagnia Nuove Indye/Ritmo Vitale 1996.)
I was a kid at school camp with my peers. A friend lent me a burned CD labelled SSS. At one moment I was overwhelmed by the music coming from a city only 100 km away, but at that moment it seemed to come from another planet. Groove, dialect, political and civic engagement. The album is from 2006, but still very topical!
Fido Guido – Terra Di Conquista (Zuingo Communication 2006.)
This album was very important to me for many reasons. I come from Taranto, the "city of steel", a city that was so important in Magna Grecia, but which has been characterized for many years by the presence of a large steel industry. A city devastated by pollution. The role of Fido Guido was very important, in my opinion, to open people's eyes, because he sang about the struggles against the collusion of politicians, against pollution and for people's rights. All these things from the neighborhood, with the dialect of Taranto, from an independent record label.
I was a big fan of his, so I asked him how I could help him spread more and more of his music. It was my first and unconscious experience as a booking agent.
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Bassi Maestro – Classe 73 (Sano Business 2003.)
I still remember the exact moment when I got on the bus to go home after returning from a small student job and started listening to the CD on my CD player.
For me, hip-hop is direct communication, a desire for revenge, an attitude of sacrifice. All of that was and is very important to me. When I organized a Bassi Maestro concert a few years later, it was something special. And if I have a label today, the willpower probably comes from independent projects like this, which have inspired me greatly over the years.
Various Artists - The Neptunes Present... Clones (Arista Records 2003.)
Today, at 36 years old, I have my favorite producers and if I am very observant when it comes to taste in producers, maybe it's because I was impressed by Pharrell Williams in 2002/2003.
I would still recognize his productions today: his drums, his backing vocals in the choruses, his falsetto voice. A producer with infinite talent who was able to produce legendary artists like Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Madonna and Daft Punk and influence their work with his style and vision.
Lenny Kravitz – Greatest Hits (Virgin 2000.)
I do not remember how, but the compilation of Lenny Kravitz's greatest hits appeared among my CDs when I was a little boy who was into hip-hop. An album that I appreciate more and more as time goes by: once for the energy and the evergreen songs, now for the artistic choices and the mixing, the exploration of stereophony, the recording and compression choices of the voices, etc.
Ibrahim Maalouf – Red & Black Light (Mi'ster Productions 2013.)
Ibrahim Maalouf is a musician I discovered 6/7 years ago and found stunning from the first listen. Refined taste, exciting without wanting to appear virtuous, an exceptional artist. I invite you to listen to his soundtracks.
Maria Mazzotta – Amoreamaro (Agualoca Records 2020.)
Yes, I know I might seem "self-referential" because I work with Maria and we have a life together. But I mention this album because it changed my professional life. She trusted me and gave me the opportunity to test my skills, ideas and strategies by putting her career in my hands. From 2019 to today, many things have changed in my professional life, and I owe that to Maria.
Marracash – Persona (Universal Music 2019.)
Marracash is definitely one of my favorite artists: lyrics, attitude, credibility, coherence. These are values that I appreciate very much and that come to the fore in the album "Persona". In my understanding of music, the album has to be a "concept album" with a clear and defined identity. "Persona" has it, in the music and in the story through photos, videos, interviews and every form of communication.
Radiohead - In Rainbows (XL Recordings 2007.)
With this album I'm making a big mea culpa. At my house, we listened to Pink Floyd, AC-DC, Dire Straits, etc. But no one ever listened to Radiohead, I only got into their work in 2023 and it was a revelation!!!! Mea culpa!
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